California gets $5 million in funding for early earthquake warning system

BURBANK, Calif. (KABC) -- An early earthquake warning system, which would provide several seconds of warning after a fault ruptures, has received $5 million as part of spending bill approved by Congress.

The system works by measuring primary waves which move through the Earth at almost twice the speed of a quake's destructive S waves and actually shake the ground.

The system sounds an audible alert, shows a countdown timer and estimates the intensity of an earthquake. The notice all depends on how far away you are from the quake.

"We've demonstrated that the system works, that the technology is solid, but we need to complete the system," said Douglas Given of the U.S. Geological Survey.

It's an early earthquake warning system that officials want to build in California, Oregon and Washington. Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) fought to get $5 million in the new federal budget to start expanding it.

"The only question is are we going to have this ready in time, and the federal government is saying this is a priority," Schiff said.

With the system, sensors would be installed in the ground to detect when an earthquake begins. They would send an instant notification that travels faster than the earthquake waves. It would give a few precious seconds or even up to a minute warning so action can be taken before any damage occurs. The system is being tested in the Bay Area, and during the recent 6.0-magnitude Napa earthquake, it gave a 10 second warning to San Francisco.

"Slowing and stopping trains, that's a pretty obvious one. In port areas, container on-loading and off-loading might be another way to make things safer. In construction sites, big tower cranes could presumably be put into a safe position," Given said.

Officials say it would take hundreds of reporting stations spread out across Western states to monitor all earthquakes.

"This gives us a chance to get out ahead of the curve, do something before the big earthquake strikes, save lives, save property," Schiff said.

The federal funding, which comes as part of the spending bill approved by Congress, is far short of what's needed to finish the job statewide. The system costs at least $32 million to build and $16 million a year to operate.

Officials says California would have to contribute to finish it and keep it running. Japan and Mexico have similar early-warning systems.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.